Loss of the Steamship Schiller.
By the Cyphrenes we have full particulars of the loss of the steamship Schiller, which had the Mikado mails aboard.
DESCRIPTION OF THE STEAMER
The Schiller, Captaiu Thomas, belonged to the Eagle line, and sailed from New York on the Bth of April for Hamburg, by way of Plymouth and Cherbourg. Captain Thomas, her commander, was the oldest commander on the line. He was many years in the service of the P. and O. Company, and was with difficulty induced to leave the British service to enter that of the Eagle line. The Schiller was one of the newest and best boats in the transcontinental service, large and strong built, on the latest pattern She was built on the Clyde by Robert Napier & Sons.. Her sister ship is the Lessing. The two vessels left port for home densely crowded, being the fir_t to take advantage of the opening of Spring travel to Europe. They were the la3t" two steamers that sailed under the flag of the Eagle line, which has been consolidated with the Hamburg-American line. The dimensions of the Schiller were : Length, 375 feet; beam, 40 ; depth of hold, 32 ; 3,fi00 tons burthen; and 3,000 indicated horse-power, and was classed at Lloyd's 100 Al. She was full brig-rigged, had eight large life boats, and three iron decks. Her engines could run the vessel fourteen or fifteen miles an hour. She was valu.d at §700.000, and was insured for her full value. HER CREW consisted of 124 men, including officers. She carred six kegs containing §300,000 gold, sb.ipr.ed by E. S Ballin and Co., bankers, of 24, Exchange place, of this city, to F.- S. Ballin and Co., Paris, and 250 mail bags, containing the entire Continental mail, together with a large Aastralian mail. Her cargo consisted of general merchandise, including 800 bales of cotton, 2,513 barrels of rosin, 4,000 bushels of corn, a_d a larga consignment of leaf tobacco.
LIST OF PASSENGERS,
The Schiller had 149 cabin passengers, and 100 adults, 10 children and 4 infants in the steerage. The passenger list as published does not contain any names recognisable as New Zealand or Australian passengers. The Ameiican mails comprised 30,000 letters, and the New Zealand and Australian bags numbered 162
THE TOTAL NOMBER OF LIVES LOST IS 311
The Herald correspondents succeeded in interviewing Mr Poleman, second officer of the Schiller, and Henry Stern and Mr Frahm —first-class passengers. From their narra fives, they gather that the voyage was moderately good until May 4 The last three days it was impossible to take observations, and the ship was out of her course half a mile at the time of the catastrophe. Captain Thomas was on deck night and day for four entire days. At 7 o'clock on the morning of the 7th there was a dense fog. The sails were taken in, and the engines put on half speed. Bishop's Light was unseen, though only half a miie distant. At 10 o'clock the steamer struck the reef, and, after four bumps, she settled down. There was a violent sea, and the tide was rising The darkness was intense. Mo_t of the male passengers were awake, and
THE USUAL RUSH WAR MADE for the boats, but nearly all the boats were staved. One boat with a few sailors left the ship, they cowardly refusiug to aid. Two boats were saved. The Captain endeavoured to compel obedience by firing a revolver over their heads. Daring two hours six cannon shots were fired, when the powder became dampened. Distress signal rockets and blue lights were unanswered. At midnight the fog lifted for a minute, revealing the lighthouse. The waves were sweeping the decks and carrying away victims. At two o'clock the deck-house, with women and children on it, was swept away. The cries and shrieks of the victims were heartrending. Then followed a ghastly silence. The aft smokestack fell, crushing some of the boats ; and two others were carried away. Each succeeding wave took away
FRESH VICTIMS.
Some sought refuge on the mainmast, and some elsewhere. At three o'clock the Captain and two other officers were on the bridge. The Captain "descended for a moment to render aid, and was swept away. Thus perished a brave man. At the time about ten persons were clinging to the rigging of the mainmast, and thirty to that of the foremast. The ship had careened, hen yards touching the water, and the tide was rising. At five o'clock the fog lifted, and the survivors shouted, but their cries were unavailing. At seven o'clock the mainmast, and at a quarter to eight the foremast, both iron, fell. Then two of the St. Agnes boats came and rescued a few who had
MANAGED TO KEEP AFLOAT.
It was reported yesterday that there were 100 on board. The survivors were taken today from Penzance to Plymouth, whence they will be sent forward to Hamburg, where there is the greatest' excitement. It is asserted that life-saving belts were issued to the women; but it is certain thai most of the passengers found none. An order was given that the first boat should take women and children. This boat was capsized. Poleman says seven boats were launched, but most of them were staved and swamped at once.' The cries for help lasted until three o'clock. The last voice heard was that of a little child in the cabin. It is not probable that the boats could have lived, even if sucessfully filled. The whole number saved is 44.
30 BODIES HAVE BERN RECQVERE
London, May 9.—Forty-three survivors of the crew and passengers of the Schiller have arrived at Penzance. Of these, thirty-three have gone to Plymouth; the other ten are too ill to be moved.
The following additional particulars of the disaster have been received : A heavy fog prevented observations on the Schiller since Tuesday. The engines were put at half speed, and sail reduced at 9 o'clock on Friday night. At 10 o'clock the same night the ship struck the ledge. A great panic pi evaded. Captaiu Thomas is highly praised for his conduct during the terrible scenes which followed. Two boats were filled with men, who refused to come out of them. Tbe Captain fired his revolver over their heads to drive them out, and then fired st them, but without effect. Afterwards, the ship was washed ashore, broadside to the sea, and all on board these boats perished. The tackle at their sterns was released too soon, leaving them suspended by their bows.
THREE BOATS GOT AWAY ; one, aflifeboat, was so badly injured that she sunk, and eleven of the people on board were rescued by the other bhats. The fog lifted an hour after the ship struck, and the lights were plainly viubK Two of the boats on the steamer were crushed by the
falling of the funnel. The deck, which wag crowded with people, was swept away. At 2 a.m., the captain gathered some of the survivors on the bridge, but all weregradually swept away by the flood tide, which took the doctor and the captain. The last rigging which remained above water wag crowded with passengers and crew all night. The mainmast "fell at 7 30 a.m., and, .being of iroD, sunk, withall on it. The foremast gave way soon after. The life-boats saved the lives of some who had
DRIFTED MILES AWAY. One man was rescued after being in the water ten hours. Two boats from St Agnes arrived a short time before the masts fell, but they were unable to approach the steamer on account of the shoals; they picked up stragglers in the water. Only one woman was saved. The survivors who were landed at Tresco escaped in the Schiller's iron boats.
New York, May 9.—Twenty-six men and. one woman reached Tresco Island, iv. two boats, The St Agnes boat subsequently picked up the bodies of four men, two women, and a little boy. One man was found, at Smith's Sound floating on the wreck. At a late hour of the day three bodies (one a female) were found. A violent sea is still beating on Merciless Shoal, and prevents rendering effectual aid. When the last boats reached the neighbourhood of the Ectarrie ledge, the last mast of the Schiller went over board, and scbresof people who were clinging to it were drowned, after having endured the most agonizing suspense duving the night.
FIFTY-EIGHT MAIL-BAGS RECOVERED,
London May 10, 4 a.m.—Fifty-eight mail, bags, with twenty-seven from New Zealand, were saved from the Schiller. None of the cargo of any importance has as yet been recovered Fishermen' report the Schiller firmly settled on the rocks, and that she will not fall off in deep water —The boats cruising in the vicinity of the wreck, continue to pick up the dead bodies of the drowned. When the steamer left St Mary's Island to-day, nearly fifty had been founds many much mutilated. Seven mail bags in addition to those reported recovered, have been saved. They contained mostly San Francisco and Auckland newspapers.
London, May 10.—An inquest was held to-day at St. Mary's on twenty bodies from the steamer. H. Hillers, first officer, testified that at the time the vessel struck, Captain Thomas and another officer were on the bridge, two men were looking out forward, and two others were on the bridge.with the Captain. The jury rendered a verdict of "Found drowned," coupled with a recommendation that a telegraph be established between Bishop's Light-house and the shore. T_ey express the opinion that if such communication had existed, all on board the Schiller would have been saved.
NARRATIVE BY A PASSENGER
Mr Henry Stern, a saloon passenger, fur--nisbed the New York Herald correspondent with a graphic narrative of the disaster. He says that after the vessel struck:—"We went into the saloon and desired to arouse the women and children, who had all retired to rest. L;fe preservers were distributed to • the passengers In the meantime the sea began to break over the vessel, so that it was impossible to remain on deck. All discipline was at an end. There was a fearful sea i raging, and the waves were irresistably rolling over the whole ship, and whoever could not cling to some firm object at a sheltered spot was pitilessly swept overboard never to be seen again. At about 11 o'clock I succeeded in climbing up the mainmast where I was at lease protected from the immediate rage of the waves. The third officer kept fiiiug rockets and blue lights from time to time, as often as the rage,of the elements permitted, in order to secure help from the shore. . .
ONE TREMEDOUS WAVE
Taere were lights burning in the pavilion up to 1 o'clock; then suddenly there came a tremendous sea that carried everything before itself, and swept the whole house, with all who were in it, mostly women and children, clean off the deck. One heartrending outcry of many voices rose to the skies, then there was the silence of the grave. Many persons who bad sought refuge on the bridge, were gradually swept away by the greedy waves, at last also the captain, who stood at his post like a brave man as he was.
COWARDLY CONDUCT OF SOME OF THE CREW.
A boat was lowered, but it was staved and broken before it had scarcely touched the water. Another and more fortunate attempt was made by three sailors, who got basely away from the ship's side, but these men could not be induced to allow any others to get in. Soon after this the lifeboat was launched from the starboard side, with Poleman in command, but she careened over immediately and caused the death of many of those who got in. They succeeded, however, in righting her, and she afterwards reached shore with ten persons, assisted by the first boat. There was a fearful state of excitement and confusion on board. Many of the crew.and passengers were intoxicated, one of the officers having celebrated his birthday that
evening.
THE SIGHT AT DAWN. Morning now began to dawn, and I counted about thirty persons clinging with me in the rigging of the mainmast. The ship gradually went deeper and deeper, and began to settle down on one side, so that the waves went over the rigging. Beween 5 and 6 o'clock our mast suddenly snapped off, and we were hurled down into the deep, and all, I believe, except me, who had saved themselves in the rigging, were either slain by the falling debris or drowned. Most of them were weakened by exposure and fright to such an extent that they were unable to make the least further effort, and apathetically submitted to their'fate. After being thrown into the water, I succeeded in catching two floating beams, with the aid of which I was kept afloat and was washed toward the cliff. As far as I can remember, I had been in this condition for about two hours, when I saw a boat at last. I cried for help. They heard me, • and in a few minutes I was saved.
ALLEGED DRUNKENNESS ®F THE OFFICERS. A sailor informed a correspondent of the Standard that many of the officers were drunk before the catastrophe, and attributes ihe wreck to that cause.
LATEST TELEGRAM.
London, May 19.—The sides of the wreck of the steamship Schiller have fallen in, covering her specie, the best part of her cargo, and probably a number of bodies. Blasting operations will commence as soon as-practicable. Among the bodies found was that of a woman with an infant clasped in her arms.
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Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1665, 19 June 1875, Page 2
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2,277Loss of the Steamship Schiller. Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1665, 19 June 1875, Page 2
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